"Museums on display 2" is part of the programme 2005, under the "Multi-year framework programme agreement" for training and updating activities for regional operators working in the field of cultural heritage promoted since 1999 by Regione Piemonte - Museum and Cultural Heritage Department - in cooperation with Fondazione Fitzcarraldo.

"Museums on display 2" is the second of a series of meeting dedicated to museum communication and displays. The first one called "DISPLAY 1 : workshops for museums designers and scenographers" was held in 2003 under the scientific supervision of Italo Rota, François Confino e Fabrizio Sabelli. This project led to the international symposium "Museums on display 1", with the participation of Italian and European experts in museum and scenographic design.
On that occasion an effort was made to go beyond the managing and organisational issues that consider museums merely as an "operative machine" in order to look at display, communication and visit to museum and cultural heritage also as an emotional and didactic experience.

Last February the international conference "Story telling in museum contexts: innovative pedagogies to enhance personnel competence" focused on the various ways of communication applied within the context of museum and cultural heritage, as well as the training programme for professionals working as interpreters of cultural heritage in museums.

The international symposium "Museums on display 2" aims at creating an occasion for discussion and information-sharing among professionals active in museums. It will be developed the subjects related to the pilot project Display 2003 - workshops for museum designers - , presented new experiences and cases at national and international level as a starting point for outlining the most recent ongoing trends in museum displays and at the end explored the technical aspects, especially the sound and light design.

The quality and the innovation in displays are decisive factors to enhance the value and the attractiveness of museums and cultural heritage. Thanks to their displays museums communicate and tell stories, convey meanings, values as well as emotions. It is therefore extremely important for the operators from the professional field to learn and experience the most recent trends in museums exhibitions and displays, and above all to critically look at the design process, analysing in depth the technical aspects and the designer -commissioner relations.

Museums on display 2 intends to:

• create an occasion for professionals active in museums to meet, confront and debate on the themes related to the pilot project Display 2003 - ateliers for designers of museum displays;
• define the national and international most recent trends and developments in museum displays;
• explore the role of light and sound design as factors capable of introducing new ways of stimulating visitors and of innovating the visitor - museum relations;
• encourage the discussion and the information-sharing among the experts directly involved in designing museum displays and exhibitions.

The meeting, opened and moderated by the Italian architect Italo Rota, is organised in two "Conference Labs".

ConferenceLab1

Designing a new museum display is the main focus of the first Conference Lab.
What should be done in order to set up a new display? How can a museum' refurbishment be designed and managed? What are the priorities? Which are the new trends? How to use light and sound design as factors capable of innovating the museum visit? And when the museum is closed for refurbishment? How, where and why temporarily display the collection? Could it provide a spin-off for the local area? Which needs can raise? And if the local inhabitants want to keep the exhibitions permanently?
Which strategies and practices can be put into effect in order to involve the local area and community? How is it possible to meet their new expectations, and to attract new visitors?
To all these questions and those of the audience will try to answer Jan Rudolph de Lorm and Igor Santhagens, in charge of the refurbishment of the New Rijsmuseum in Amsterdam, by presenting their project. Eleni Vassilika, Director of the Fondazione Museo delle Antichità Egizie in Turin, will enrich the discussion on the issues come out of the speakers' presentations and she will underline the most relevant elements also related to her current experience at the Egyptian Museum.

ConferenceLab2

The second Conference Lab will take place in the afternoon and will approach the theme of designing museum displays in ancient fortifications, with a focus of attention on the role of light and sound design.
How can a display be set up in a non-traditional museum? How manage the commissioner-designer relations? What are the strengths of the building? What kind of constraints to deal with? And how about the costs? Which are the technical aspects to be taken into consideration? How is it possible to emotionally involve the visitor by telling the history of the place as well as of its inhabitants? How to create relations with the local community and its territory? How to enhance its power of attractiveness?
Gigi Venegoni, sound designer of Bard fortification, Richi Ferrero, artist expert in light, Cristina Natta Soleri, curator of Exilles fortification, with the participation of the architect Marina Gariboldi, will present their projects stimulated by the questions made by the Italo Rota and the audience.
After the Conference Lab 2 and before the conclusions, the scenographer and winner of the Oscar price Dante Ferretti will speak in details about his temporary exhibition set up for one of the sections of the Museo Egizio.